FTB- survey results and thinking of pulling out

torapoole

poppysarah wrote: »

under an upstairs floor ...?

Damp is expected in virtually all properties humans are in. We breathe out water vapour all the time... we cook, we wash, we create steam etc... You can open windows/use dehumidifiers etc for this ...

But it'll show itself as a prblem on walls if it's outside water coming in... and that'll be the really expensive stuff. If there's dodgy gutters, or leaky pipes then some serious damage might be needing repairing.

You might just have had an over cautious surveyor who had his "damp everywhere" head on. (Like the all do most of the time)

Next time you view somewhere (I'd run from this screaming unless it's the only terraced house for miles ... ;-) .. think about that...)
look at outside roof, gutters, downspouts,
inside walls, windows, ceilings etc
SNIFF AND SMELL your way round the house.

Don't feel you've wasted your 700 quid - you could spend more finding out more about the damp problem - but before you do
ASK THE VENDORS via EA whether they are willing to renogiate heavily on price if damp survey comes back with serious issues.

If they won't reduce price then don't waste more money.
Don't pay top buck for a dead duck!

Sorry- didn't explain that it's a downstairs bathroom!
Thanks for all your advice- I'm really pleased we spent the money getting the survey done, because without it we would never have known the extent of the problem, it's just a shame. I will have my sniffing nose at the ready if/when we look again!!

G_M

What are the walls made of? And covered with? The surveyor will have used a two-pronged so-called 'damp meter'. This does not actually measure damp, it measure electrical conductivity. Designed for use on wood, if the wood is damp, it will conduct electricity and the meter will indicate damp.

Used on any other material that can conduct electricity (some wall paper pastes for example!) such a device would show 'damp', even if the wall was dry as a bone.

David_Aldred

Hi torapoole,
Reading through your posts and those of others the following comments may be worth consideration. I am often asked during my surveys how much do I think a house is worth and at the end of the day like most things the value of the house is as much as somebody including yourselves is willing to pay for it at the time and no more. If you and your OH have a gut feeling that this house with dampness is not the one for you then no amount of comments on here should push you into thinking otherwise because it is the pair of you who will have to live there at the end of the day.

A good surveyor should be looking out for your interests which should be to bring to your attention things such as dampness that may have not been readily apparent to you as a layperson when you viewed the property. Excessive levels of dampness is of concern because it brings about many unwanted things such as decay, corrosion, warping, mould growth, degradation etc. Usually however if the moisture sources are correctly diagnosed the fabric the building can be dried down to a point that is perceived to be dry. It is when the moisture sources are either misdiagnosed or are not all addressed resulting in inadeqaute or inappropriate works being undertaken that dampness with associated decay etc remains a problem.

The electrical damp meters are useful for indicating areas of concern that may not be visually apparent that should be further investigated. The readings obtained when such meters are placed in wood are usually very reliable in that the only thing in wood is usually water though some preservatives can give rise to high readings when the wood is relatively dry. When using such meters on walls the readings need more caution as there are a number of things other than moisture that will give rise to such high readings yet the meters are designed to be used on walls as well as wood and hence they have a wood moisture equivalent scale for use on walls plus the more expensive electrical damp meters will work out dew points on wall surfaces too which is also helpful when considering condensation issues.

The level at which you can feel or smell dampness is well beyond that which will support decay of timber and hence whilst your hands and eyes are obviously great tools for investigation the electrical damp meter is a useful tool that will alert and quantify areas of concern requiring further investigation far more accurately. What they will not do is prove rising damp so please don't have a contractor selling a replacement damp proof course or indeed a surveyor tell you otherwise.

Hindsight is alsways a great thing but bear in mind that the RICS surveys including valuation, homebuyers and full structural will often ask for damp / timber / wall tie (the latter if cavity walls are present), electrical and gas reports plus possibly drain, structural engineer and reports on trees etc.

Some Chartered Surveyors will climb under suspended timber floors and into tight dirty voids but many are suite and tie people who will not and when there is the option of recommending others to do so this is usually the option they take such that you end up with a report that discusses the appearance of the property in detail with simply a lot of generally vague comments and recommendations for others to inspect in more detail.

Rather than spending the £700 on every property you become interested and then having to go and obtain more detailed reports why not have the detailed reports done first by NICEIC / ECA electricians, Gas Safe Registered plumbers, good damp and timber contractors (if you use these ensure they list all moisture sources and not just the treatments they want to sell) or independent damp and timber specialist surveyors? From these reports you should have a far better idea of what is going on with the property and if it is looking like the one for you by all means proceed to spending the £700 on the RICS reports. Please read my other posts on here regarding dampness, decay, woodworm and cavity wall ties which may be of use to you. Kindest regards David Aldred Independent damp and timber surveyor